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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. field — for sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. march — the month
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. cue — a hint
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com